Senate Bill 412, sponsored by Senator Aaron Bean, (R-Jacksonville), who is now in his eighth year of service as a Senator, having served in the House of Representatives for 8 years before that, has reincarnated the previous year’s version to incorporate more proposed changes to Florida’s specialty license plate program. Senator Bean is a UF Health Jacksonville Relationship Development Officer and a Licensed Auctioneer. SB 412 has been assigned to three Senate Committees: Infrastructure and Security, chaired by Senator Tom Lee (R-Brandon), VP of Sabal Homes of Florida and a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson, who is now serving his 18th year as a state senator; Appropriations, chaired by Senator Rob Bradley (R-Orange Park), an attorney, serving his 8th year as a state senator and Rules, chaired by Senator Lizbeth Benaquisto (R-Fort Myers), a Marketing and Special Events Consultant who is now serving her 10th year as a state senator.
The proposed bill will allow dealer and fleet companies to purchase specialty license plates in lieu of the standard fleet license plates, provided all costs associated with specialty license plates are paid.
Creation of new plates will require a minimum of 3,000 (4,000 for out-of-state colleges) vouchers to be sold within a 2-year period. If the effort fails, the purchaser of the voucher may use it as a credit for a duly authorized specialty plate or apply for a refund.
On January 1 of each year, the department shall discontinue the specialty plate with the fewest number of plates in circulation, including license plates exempt from a statutory sales requirement. Warning letters are to be sent to the organizations of the 10% of the total number of plates with the fewest valid, active registrations as of December 1 of each year.
The Department must discontinue the issuance of an approved specialty plate if the number falls below 3,000 (4,000 for out-of-state colleges) – except for in-state collegiate plates, plates with statutory eligibility limitations, and professional sports teams.
If a specialty plate is discontinued, a vehicle owner may keep the plate for the 10-year plate replacement cycle, without having to pay the associated specialty plate fees.
‘Special Olympics’ plate slogan is to be changed from “Everyone Wins” to “Be a Fan.”  60 % of the ‘Live the Dream’ license plate revenue is to be distributed to Sickle Cell organizations that are Florida members of the Sickle Cell Disease Association, with Miami-based Chapman Partnership getting 30%, and the Department may distribute up to 5% directly to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., as a royalty for the use of the image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The marketing and administration is reduced to 5% from 25% and the Florida Chapter of the March of Dimes and the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions are removed as recipients of funding.
The Lighthouse Association slogan is to be changed from “Visit our Lights” to “SaveOurLighthouses.org.” The ‘In God We Trust’ plate is to be changed from benefiting members of the US Armed forces, National Guard and U S Reserve to addressing the needs of the military community and public safety community to provide educational grants and scholarships to “foster self-reliance and stability in Florida’s children, and to provide education in public and private schools regarding historical; significance of religion in American and Florida history.”
Audits of all specialty plate organizations shall be conducted every 3 years.  The funds from the Motorcycle plate shall now go to Preserve Vision, Inc. instead of Prevent Blindness Florida, Inc. and a new motorcycle plate for Purple Heart recipients shall be available with the slogan “Combat Wounded Veteran” A Bronze Star recipient may also apply for a specialty plate.
Plates shall be approved in the order they appear in s.320.08058 creating new plates. There will be a cap at 200 approved plates. The following 24 new specialty license plates are proposed, in the following order of priority:
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1. Ducks Unlimited, with the slogan ‘Conserving Florida Wetlands”; 
2. Dan Marino Campus, with the slogan “Marino Campus”;
3. Donate Life (“Donors Save Lives”); 
4. Florida State Beekeepers (“Save the Bees”); 
5. “America the Beautiful”; 
6. “Beat Childhood Cancer” for Beat Nb, Inc. (80%) and No Kid Should Know Cancer, Inc. (20%); 
7. University of Alabama (“Roll Tide”); 
8. “Rotary” for the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc.; 
9. “Florida Bay Forever” for the Florida National Parks Association; 
10. Bonefish and Tarpon Trust; 
11. “Medical Professionals Who Care” for the Florida Benevolent Group, Inc.; 
12. “University of Georgia” for the Georgia Bulldog Club of Jacksonville; 
13. “Highwaymen”, for the construction of the Highwaymen Museum of African-American Cultural Center in Fort Pierce; 
14. Orlando City Soccer Club; 
15. Coastal Conservation Association (“Conserve Florida’s Fisheries”);
16. Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society; 
17. “Ethical Ecotourism” for the Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism and Paddle Florida, Inc.; 
18. “Knights of Columbus”; 
19. “Daughters of the American Revolution”; 
20. Guardian Ad Litem (“Heartfelt Child Advocacy”); 
21. “Jumbo Shrimp” for St Johns Riverkeeper, Inc.; 
22. Gadsden Flag (“Don’t Tread on Me”); 
23. “K9’s United”; and
24. “Explore Off Road.”

No bill analyses have been filed yet. SB 414 is the companion bill that also has to pass to facilitate the annual use fees to be approved for each of the proposed specialty license plates. This has been assigned to three Senate committees: Infrastructure and Security, Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, chaired by Senator Travis Hutson, (R- Palm Coast), VP of Hutson Companies, a real estate investment company, who is now serving his 5th year as a state senator, after having served 3 years as a state representative.
Last spring freshman state Rep. Melony Bell (R-Fort Meade) owner of Bell Apiaries, introduced a bill to help raise awareness of the risk to Florida’s honey bees, she has refiled the bill (HB27), and it is also included in SB 412, listed 4th in priority. SB 108 has also been filed by Senator Kevin Rader (D-Boca Raton), an insurance agent with CKP Insurance, LLC and an avid beekeeper, who is now in his 4th year as a state senator having served in the House for 6 years.
The Fort Meade Republican wanted to create a specialty license plate whose sales would generate funding for the Florida State Beekeepers Association to use for promoting honeybee research and related educational and husbandry programs. The bill passed one subcommittee unanimously but went no further last year.
Last week WUSF offered a report outlining threats to honey bees that suggests simply splitting hives may not help. Rep. Bell’s husband, Robbie, a beekeeper, was a subject in the WUSF report. He is not on the board of the state beekeepers’ association that would control the license-plate funding, if the bill is enacted, according to the group’s website.
The Blue Angels license plate bill passed last year, but the accompanying bill to facilitate the user fees was attached to a larger appropriations bill that did not get enough votes to pass. Senator Doug Broxson, (R-Gulf Breeze), who works in insurance and real estate and is in his 4th year as a state senator, having served 6 years in the House, has filed SB 488 that would allow the specialty license plate to be sold for a $25 fee on top of the normal taxes and tag fees. Revenue from the fee will benefit the National Naval Aviation Museum and its National Flight Academy in Pensacola.
When Senator Broxson filed the bill, he told the News Journal "I don't think it will be a fight, I think everyone is on board," If Senator Broxson's bill wins approval, the plate could go on sale as soon as March, 2020. 
Other proposed specialty license plate bills that have been filed include three by Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando): SB 314, “Toastmasters”; SB 324, “Gopher Tortoise”, and SB 328, ‘Orlando United’. Senator Stewart is a former insurance agent and in her 4th year as a state senator having served 2 years in the House. 
SB 568 ‘Guardian Ad Litem’ has been filed by Senator Ben Albritton (R-Bartow), an Agribusiness owner in his 2nd year as a state senator, having served 8 years in the House.
HB 385, “Highwaymen” has been filed by Representative Hogan Johnson, (D-Fort Pierce) a retired educator in her second year in the House and the bill is co-sponsored by Representative Evan Jenne (D-Dania Beach) who is self-employed and in his 6th year in the House. He lists his recreational interests to include Wolf spider husbandry.
​According to 2018 specialty license plate sales, if the 3,000 minimum annual sales requirement is passed, it could mean an end to Special Olympics (2,909), A State of Vision (2,386), American Legion (2,274), Scouting Teaches Values (2,192), Family Values (2,105), Parents Make a Difference (1,542), Agriculture Education (1,493), Kids Deserve Justice (1,389), and Moffitt Cancer Center (1,374).
Orlando Magic (2,853) Miami Marlins (2,810), Florida Panthers (2,011) and 28 collegiate plates that fall below the 3,000 sales are specifically exempted from the requirement under the current version of the bill.

So far in 2019, $25,099,178.00 has been raised from the sale of specialty license plates, through September 30. In CY 2018, a total of $33,509,016.00 was raised and in CY 2017, $33,562.008.00 was raised.
Up to September 30, 2019, the highest grossing specialty plates are:
University of Florida $1,550,775.00
Endless Summer $1,463,375.00
Helping Sea Turtles Survive $1,367,879.00
Florida State University $1,207,625.00
Miami Heat $826,075.00
Save the Manatee $783,820.00
In the month of September, 2019, the highest new plate sales were:
Endless Summer 1,429
Helping Sea Turtles 974
Miami Heat 797
University of Florida 532
Tampa Bay Bucs 480
Protect our Oceans 476
In the month of September, 2019, 15,876 new plates were sold, compared to 15,128 in September, 2018. For September, 2019, $2,579,877.00 was raised, compared to $2,467,355.00 in September, 2019. The top 3 highest grossing plates for September 2019 was University of Florida ($157,375.00), Endless Summer ($135,350.00), and Helping Sea Turtles ($132,296.00).
The lowest number of total plates sold for September, 2019 was Warner Southern College (4), Florida Hospital College (6), and Lynn University (8).